Watch TV when you open your magazine

Some are asking if si-fi is now reality. You can now find a video player in Entertainment Weekly. It holds up to 40 minutes of video. For now these ADs will only be seen in NYC and LA.

Desperately Seeking Susan's Ad Revenue

Following the Susan Boyle thread, the New York Times ran an interesting article on the difficulty of monetizing internet fame.  Although hundreds of millions of people have watched Susan Boyle perform "I Dreamed A Dream" via the internet - mainly YouTube - this has not translated directly into money for the producers or distributors of "Britain's Got Talent".  And surprisingly, not even YouTube (a unit of Google) has profited from Susan Boyle's fame: commercials were not placed on the videos of her singing due to a failure of Fremantle Media and YouTube to see eye to eye on a way to split the potential ad revenue.

Incidentally, here is a link to Susan's second performance, in which she sings "Memories" from the musical "Cats."

image: http://www.paydayloanaffiliate.com

Pleasure Interruptus

Television commercials have put food on my table for a long time, yet I am not a fan of commercials. I am not alone. Most people would prefer to watch TV without commercials. Some new research shows that ADs interrupting our tv shows heighten our enjoyment of the show and it did not matter if the commercials are good or bad. Even when people TIVO their favorite shows, they stop the show to take a phone call or make a trip to the bathroom. The researchers say we're not fully aware of what makes us happy.

Do you know what makes you happy?

*Drawing from NYT article.